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SUMMARY:Webinars for Professional Development in the Arts Series 8: "Learn
 ing to let go: How expert improvisors choose notes subconsciously" - Dr. M
 artin Norgaard\, Georgia State University
DTSTART:20141015T160000Z
DTEND:20141015T173000Z
UID:TALK53885@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Lucian Stephenson
DESCRIPTION:Unlike experts\, novice improvisers often try to control indiv
 idual note choices. In an earlier qualitative study\, artist-level improvi
 sers described consciously focusing on larger musical structures while ind
 ividual notes were chosen outside of conscious control. In a follow-up stu
 dy with developing improvisers we found that beginners often focus on indi
 vidual note choices to the detriment of structural coherence. Expert impro
 visers state they rely on learned melodic and rhythmic patterns in order t
 o focus on larger musical structures. To investigate this\, we created a c
 omputer algorithm that is capable of producing new improvisations using pa
 tterns given a corpus of solos in the same style. We also conducted an exp
 erimental study in which artist-level jazz pianists improvised while consc
 iously engaged in an unrelated counting task. Participants used significan
 tly more pitch and interval patterns in the experimental condition compare
 d to a control condition in which they improvised without distractions. Ta
 ken together these results support the idea that expert improvisers use le
 arned patterns during improvisation so they can focus elsewhere. One of th
 e goals of instruction in improvisation therefore should be to allow novic
 e improvisers to experience the feeling of “letting go” by teaching th
 em to insert known scale and chord patterns subconsciously.\n\n*Bio*\n\nMa
 rtin Norgaard is Assistant Professor of Music Education at Georgia State U
 niversity in Atlanta where he is collaborating with faculty in mathematics
 \, computer science\, linguistics\, and physics to investigate the cogniti
 ve processes underlying improvisation. Dr. Norgaard recently presented res
 ults of a computer modeling project in Vienna\, Austria\, and Aarhus\, Den
 mark. Another team of Norgaard’s collaborators just received a grant to 
 conduct a brain imaging experiment investigating the cognitive underpinnin
 gs of musical improvisation in expert jazz improvisers. Dr. Norgaard was t
 he guest editor of a recent theme issue of Psychomusicology\, Music\, Mind
 \, and Brain based on papers from the Improvising Brain Symposium held at 
 GSU in April 2013. His research also appears in the Journal of Research in
  Music Education and the interdisciplinary journal Music Perception. He is
  the author of ten jazz string method books for Mel Bay Publications inclu
 ding Jazz Fiddle Wizard and Jazz Fiddle/Viola/Cello Wizard Junior and the 
 composer of several string orchestra pieces for The FJH Music Company and 
 Alfred Music Publishing. Dr. Norgaard serves on the Music Educators Journa
 l advisory board and recently finished work writing the next generation Na
 tional Standards in the Arts under the auspices of the National Coalition 
 for Core Arts Standards.
LOCATION:Faculty of Education\, 184 Hills Road\, Cambridge\, CB2 8PQ\, DMB
 \, Room 2S4
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